The Ghostly Islander
by Sonic155
Summary: Danny never asked for this. He never asked to be sent off to a summer camp in Canada. But alas, his parents thought it would be a great idea to escape the ghostly activity in Amity for awhile. Now, the halfa just needs to focus on staying in the game, juggling odd friendships, crazy challenges, a sadistic host, and of course, keeping his secret from reaching national television.
1. This Is SO Not A Resort

**I've read a good deal of TD/DP stories, I was both inspired and bored, and decided to give it a shot myself.**

 **(God, I'm horrible for starting _another_ story... T-T)**

 **Anyway, don't let me stop you from reading. Please, ignore me and continue after I do the disclaimer.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Total Drama belongs to Tom McGillis, Jennifer Pertsch, and the rest of Fresh TV and yada yada ya.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: This Is SO Not A Resort...**

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There comes a time in everyone's life when karma decides to give them the bird.

That luck is so sickeningly cruel that it makes you want to grab your hair and yank it out in utter frustration. Or take said emotion out on the closest object at your disposal... which half of the time usually ends up with you hopping on your good foot and nursing your injured one while curses spew out of your mouth faster than a track athlete can take off.

In other words, karma sucked.

Before the accident, Danny never really cared for the supernatural.

With ghost-obsessed parents nearly flipping their lids whenever a single trace of a so-called 'ghost' made it on their radar, and ordinary food deciding to make him and the rest of his family _switch_ roles on the food chain after a dose of ectoplasm, he even came to resent the supernatural.

But one electrifying freak accident later, and... lets just say his former resentment for the supernatural took a complete 180.

So, when the halfa found himself on an average yacht, studying the drastic changes from the brochure held loosely in his hands to the slowly approaching crappy island?

It was right there and then Danny decided... karma truly was a bitch.

Throwing one last irritated glance at the folded up brochure held in his hands, the raven haired teen promptly ripped the booklet in half, and another half, and another until the once nicely folded guide was reduced to tiny little pieces of shredded paper. And after a thorough scan around the boat, it seemed not even a trashcan wanted anything to do with the tattered remains of the accursed brochure.

Danny rolled his eyes in mild annoyance, mentally _praising_ his luck, before he decided to just stuff the little bits deep inside his right pocket.

The... camp, if he could even call it that, would undoubtedly have trashcans littered around the area. He'd just toss the bits in one of the bins later on. That, or burn them up in a campfire. Not too surprisingly, the second option sounded far more favorable at the moment...

Maybe Sam's gothic nature was starting to rub on him a little.

Just a little.

And speaking of camp.

His boat was closing in on it.

Opting to push away his slightly morbid thoughts for now, Danny let his crystalline colored eyes scrutinize the camp and it's occupants a little more carefully now that both were in his view.

Vegetation greener than the vegetation back in Amity basked in all of it's fresh glory as it took up most of the island. In the middle of the forestry, crushing the crisp blades of grass with their mighty weight, stood several old, rickety cabins spread not too far from one another. Surprisingly, they stood tall and strong, barely donning any holes despite the fact that the wood looked like it would give under a harsh kick. He could only wonder how the old texture would manage when a storm came around.

The first thing to catch his full attention though was the insanely enormous cliff, jutting out from the woods. If Danny had to guess, he'd say the cliff was roughly around, maybe, 900 ft tall? The mountain seemed to be somewhere around that height range.

Now, the second thing to catch his attention were the docks at the front of the island, and more importantly, the large crowd of people gathered on the wooden structure. The crowd was very... diverse, to say the least. Given his daily ghostly battles back at home, the halfa was able to adapt to numerous new skills that became handy during his two years of being a halfa. One of these skills was the ability to scan a person, place, or an object and their features in nearly under two minutes. And since he had to survive through high school during those years too, scanning a crowd this large took him only two minutes and fifteen seconds, mentally speaking. With the exception of two girls with matching outfits and hairstyles, not a single person looked remotely the same. Which, in his opinion, was kinda refreshing. A few students in Casper High looked as though they could be related, especially over half of the football team.

Upon finishing his scan, the campers looked about alright. Well, most of them did anyway. The matching twins were rapidly jumping up and down, squealing in unconstrained excitement, causing a few campers to either wince, step away from the joyful pair, or shoot them annoyed looks, to which the two were oblivious to. What made him pause, however, was the sight of a girl of Asian descent wearing an expensive outfit, looking as if she was trying to send every camper and the host on the docks to hell with just one murderous glare, a thuggish guy around his height with a green mohawk and piercings, decked out in punk clothing, and a broad girl dressed in gym clothes, sporting a fierce glare that would make Dash whimper with just one simple look.

Overall, Danny made sure to mentally check those five under a 'Must Avoid'.

...

Okay, so maybe just the last three. The twins he could probably handle if they weren't going to squeal for the whole stay here.

As for the host himself? He seemed about average, wearing a causal outfit of a navy blue polo shirt on top of a white long sleeved shirt, a pair of khakis, grey customized converse and a necklace wrapped around his neck. Now, Danny was never one for reality TV, but the guy honestly didn't look too bad for a host. The heated sun glinting down on his tanned skin and perfectly styled jet black hair did nothing to spoil his mood, and it showed when his large, welcoming grin never wavered, his small black eyes flashed with excitement, and his large hand held itself up high, giving the teen a casual wave.

The sign "Wawanakwa" flashed into view in big, bold red letters, causing Danny to momentarily frown at the name. On the brochure, it said _Wawanakwa Resort_ , the same resort his parents eagerly signed him up for in order for him to get away from Amity Park and the rest of his problems for the summer, despite joining a reality show for it. Not _Wawanakwa Camp_ , the poor excuse of a camping ground environment out in the middle of nowhere.

The halfa supposed this was his karma for leaving the position of protector of Amity Park to his friends, both dead and alive back home. But it's not like he wanted to go in the first place. He tried everything to stop his parents from signing him up for this show. From refusal of an audition tape to playing sick. But whenever a Fenton put their mind to something, there was _no_ stopping him nor her.

Okay... so maybe he didn't try everything. But after his first year of ghost fighting, he promised himself to never overshadow a family member again unless the situation was absolutely desperate. He always hated taking away someone's free will, and to do that to his parents? Or even Jazz? Wasn't he supposed to be the hero?

Anyway, when it seemed that chances of escape were futile, Danny went with plan B. If Team Phantom were to ever get dragged along to another disastrous Ghost Zone field trip, courtesy of Walker, then they would have something to counter said disaster. A device which would not only restrain his powers to a degree, but hide his ecto signature too. That way a ghost wouldn't be able to detect his presence and his ghost sense wouldn't slip out and catch anyone's attention.

And what better way to use the device than to attach it to the halfa in his time of need. At least now, Danny wouldn't have to worry about slipping up on national television.

Once the yacht came to a stop at the ending of the dock, Danny shouldered his bag, gripping it by the strap, and took the handle of his suitcase in his free hand. Stepping off the boat, he made his way over to the host and the crowd of teenagers that looked to be around his age.

He just hoped he'd be able to keep himself in check for the summer.

* * *

 **To keep both teams balanced, I'll be adding Valerie because, well... it's Valerie. She's one of the most badass characters in the series.**

 **The next chapter will be ready by the end of January.**

 **Later, readers.**


	2. Meet And Greet Part 1

**Huh... this story's received good feedback. That's awesome. Time to address the reviewers then.**

Anonymous and HateReborn27: **Thanks. I want to give this story everything I've got.**

Jonas: **Good question. I like Danny/Sam and all, but... with Sam's somewhat demanding ways, I can't really see her and Danny making it far in this crossover. The Danny/Gwen ship on the other hand... it has a nice ring to it.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Total Drama belongs to Tom McGillis, Jennifer Pertsch, and the rest of Fresh TV.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Meet And Greet Part 1...**

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Chris McLean knew he was a very lucky man.

Despite his recent decrease of popularity, he wouldn't let that get to him. He just needed to keep his head in the game and wait. His charms, his devilishly handsome face, his fashionable style, his mischievous nature, and his quick wit? With this full packaged deal, it was only a matter of time before a fisherman and his buddies went fishing and sunk their hooks into this patient fish, waiting for his call. And the fishermen did eventually come... in the form of the producers and executive producers of their latest show, Total Drama. They were desperate, fishing for a new host after their last fishie Blainley rejected their offer and flopped back into the Hollywood sea, searching for a school of her own. Seeing a golden opportunity, who was Chris to say no?

As host of the newest, hottest, reality show, it was his job to tackle the gruesome work, like finding a suitable assistant, skimming through the wave of audition videos flooding their website, and handpicking which teenagers would bring in the ratings of the show. His answer of a perfect assistant came in the form of a large, burly dark skinned man he found selling cooked roadkill outside of a bus station in Ontario last fall. And as an added bonus, the man displayed a large assortment of skills: a retired soldier, a rockin' dj, and a legendary chef to name a few.

But the auditions... man were they hard to pick! So many teenagers to screw over on national television... the potential drama... It was extremely difficult at first, but in the end, Chris managed to narrow down the selection of teenage contestants that he thought would deliver the best drama for the show.

His handpicked contestants delighted his bosses... for the most part. Several of them still had felt as if something was missing, which led to a last minute search for any further auditions. Auditions that not only sprouted from Canada, but from other countries too. They wanted to see how kids from their native countries would adapt on television, see what they had to offer in the competition.

So, it was just their luck when the producers spotted an audition of a athletic, sassy dark skinned girl performing a few backflips and checking her hair afterwards, all the while explaining why she deserved a chance to be on the show and what she had to bring to the table.

The producers were ecstatic. They'd found their 23rd player...

Correction: their _24th_ player.

A week later, a man paid them a visit in the wee hours of the morning. Although, it wasn't just any man, no. But the famed Vlad Masters _himself_.

After a brief greeting, Amity Park's billionaire dove straight to business. He requested that his nephew participate in this reality show of theirs... as their 23rd contestant. He claimed this was to give him some time away from his bothersome home. And with the promised reward of $14 million, the producers didn't bat an eyelash as they accepted the request.

It was done.

Thanks to the power of money, their 23rd contestant perched himself in the game.

Daniel Fenton.

The same Daniel Fenton the host caught sight of after telling Izzy and Owen lunch was on the way.

Waving his hand, Chris grinned, "Danny, my dude! Welcome to camp!"

Despite his irritable mood, Danny decided first impressions mattered. The halfa cracked a smile, "Thanks, Chris," he took a quick glance around their surroundings and sarcastically added, "A camp, huh? What? Did the resort grow legs and walk away?"

Several campers showed faint hints of their amusement. Danny even spotted a raven haired teen, wearing a green camouflage shirt, pressing his fist against his lips, stifling a laugh.

Eyes filled with mirth, the host commented, "Yeah, something like that. Meanwhile, I'll be staying in my sweet crib over there," he jabbed his thumb and the raven haired teen followed his gaze. On the other side of the island, he could see a few tents followed by a nice trailer. Lucky bastard.

Rolling his eyes, he brushed past Chris, muttering a low "Okay then" and took his place between a large blonde and green clad redhead. Beaming a bright smile, the blonde extended out his hand for a handshake.

"Hi, I'm Owen," he cheerfully said.

Glancing at the waiting hand, Danny smiled politely and grasped it, giving it a shake, "Danny,"

"I'm so stoked about this show, man. We're gonna be teammates!" the blonde swung his fists towards his chest in excitement, "Are you excited?"

"Oh yeah, I'm buzzing," the halfa replied, shrugging a little, "What's more fun than competing in a summer camp anyway?"

Owen didn't pick up on his sarcasm, "Competing in a summer camp filled with food, that's what!"

Danny couldn't help but be reminded of his dad. Both big, excitable, and they shared a love for food? Oh yeah, he had a feeling his dad already loved the guy, given that he and his mom were at home, keeping their promise about watching each and every episode of Total Drama, starting with the very first one.

The raven haired teen chuckled, "Sure, Owen,"

"Ooo! You know what I can't wait for?" the redhead beside him joined in. Both boys looked at her and seeing as she had their attention, she grinned, "Lunch! Paper Mache sounds _soooo_ good right now,"

What? Danny arched an eyebrow, not quite sure if he had heard right.

"Paper Mache?" he echoed, tilting his head a bit.

"Uh huh, yeah," the girl nodded, "I haven't had any of that stuff in months!"

"What does paper Mache taste like? Is it good?" Owen curiously asked.

"Yeah. If they have any, I'll let you try it first!" the redhead offered, rubbing her stomach in hunger. Owen copied her action, his mouth drooling from just the mere thought of food.

Danny could only stare. Eating paper Mache? That wasn't exactly healthy...

But before he could comment, the sound of horns blaring and revving engines scratched his sensitive ears. He turned his head to the side and watched as a boat bearing a striking resemblance to his ride, shredded through the waters of the lake, looking to be in quite a hurry. Faint complaints slithered their way into his ears, coated in an oddly familiar voice.

"C'mon, man! Can't you make this raggedy old thing go any faster? I'm the last one here!"

"That's the idea, genius," a deeper voice snarked back.

"Still, no boat should take this long to reach shore. The guide said it was an hour-long trip!"

Danny furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Where had he heard that voice before?

As the boat drew closer to the island, the other campers took notice of it's appearance. Chris prepared himself for their final camper and opened his mouth, "And last but not least, we have our final contestant joining us today!"

The halfa barely heard him. His eyes were trained on the boat, or more importantly, it's occupant. As they- no, _she_ waved to the crowd, he felt them widen tremendously in surprise.

Valerie crossed her arms in attitude. Sunlight from above bathed her dark skin in it's warm glow, her long, curly black hair whipped back, riding in the wind, while a fist rested on her right hip, pressing into her yellow top and orange shorts.

Valerie Gray. As in the Red Huntress. Was on the show... This could be a problem.

Once her boat reached the docks, the girl wasted no time in jumping off, muttering something that suspiciously sounded like "Annoying sailors,"

When she straightened herself up, she noticed the group of teenagers. Fingering her bag, she gave Chris a slight smile.

"Chris McLean," she greeted, leisurely walking over, "How's it going?"

"Valerie," Chris casually returned the greeting, pointing a finger gun her way, "Nice of you to join us," he smiled a cheeky smile, "So what's this I hear about 'annoying sailors?'"

Valerie's mood dropped a little, "The guy took his sweet time getting here. Wasn't my boat supposed to be directly behind contestant number 23?"

"It was," Chris shrugged, "But hey, sailors need their time too,"

"Right," she rolled her eyes. Taking a glance at the large crowd, she scanned the faces of her competition. Danny made sure to duck behind Owen, the blonde thankfully shielding him from Valerie's keen eyes. After a few seconds passed, he heard her ask, "So, this is everybody?"

"Yep," the host answered, popping the p. He followed her gaze to the crowd, "Everyone, this is Valerie, our very own amazon,"

A dark haired, burly girl with hazel colored eyes rose an eyebrow.

"Amazon?" she repeated, a look of interest etched on her face, "You spar?"

Valerie smirked, "I do. How long have you been at it?"

"Years," the girl replied. Her lips twitched, "Name's Eva. We should spar sometime,"

"Sure thing," the dark skinned girl smiled. She could use a sparring partner for a little while.

"I'd like to see that," the guy with his green Mohawk whispered to the tall Jamaican beside him, who shook his head.

"Alright," Chris clapped his hands loudly, "we need a group photo for the promos. Everyone on the end of the dock!"

Everyone started to move in a single filed line, walking towards the other end of the dock where Chris and Valerie stood. Danny trudged behind Owen, keeping pace with the other campers, while internally grateful for the big guy's form. His eyes narrowed slightly as troubled thoughts raced within his mind.

Valerie was here. She was actually _here_. But the question was, why? Shouldn't she be in Amity Park, patrolling the streets with Dani and hunting down ghosts? While it was true after the Destabilizing incident last year, Valerie and Phantom had called a truce, all the while patching up the rough spots in their shaky acquaintanceship. But Danny was here on Total Drama as _Fenton_. Not Phantom. Unlike the other kids in their school, Casper High's former popular girl was no idiot. Fearfully, Danny noticed that she seemed to be place a few puzzle pieces together the more time they spent together. Desperately, he tried to put a bit of distance between him and her, hoping he could gather time to himself to develop a plan. Unfortunately, though, that plan backfired in the end since Tucker had grown rather fond of the girl, and would offer the Red Huntress the chance to join the Phantom trio whenever she could. It's not that Danny didn't trust Valerie, it's just... he wasn't quite sure how Valerie would handle his secret exactly. The boy she dated two years ago was the very same ghost who 'supposedly' tried to waste her. Awkward much? That, stacked with avoiding screwing up on live TV, did nothing to calm his nerves.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Shaking his head, Danny turned to the side. Beside him, a freckled, mocha skinned girl eyed him in concern.

Her lips were curved downward in a small frown. "Danny, right?"

Danny blinked, "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," his hand absentmindedly ran through his dark hair, "I was just lost in thought. Nothing more," shrugging his shoulders, the boy gave his fellow camper his undivided attention "Anyway, your name is...?"

She didn't look convinced, but chose to drop the subject, "Well, okay. I'm Courtney," Offering a friendly smile, she continued, "It's a pleasure to meet you,"

"Likewise," Danny smiled. Taking a page out of Owen's book, he asked, "Are you excited for the game?"

"Quite," Courtney brightly said, "The competition, the contestants, and the prize," a low sigh of bliss left her lips and her dark eyes lowered nearly in a daze, "I can't wait to bring that money home,"

The young Fenton rose an eyebrow in amusement, "Someone seems cocky,"

Snapping out of her state, Courtney had the decency to look sheepish, "It's just a thought," she quietly admitted, a small smile gracing her lips.

It wasn't long before everyone was situated on the far end of the docks, gathered around to strike a pose for the camera. Danny stood between a blonde decked out in an opened pink button up shirt and cowboy hat, and the sharp Asian girl from before, who took no notice of his wary look. Great.

Suppressing a sigh, he glanced over and spotted Valerie, instantly thankful and hateful for his recent growth spurt. The red huntress in disguise stood back to back with Eva, her arms crossed while she tossed a sassy smirk to the camera.

On the bright side, the big cowboy hat shielded his face from view, should Valerie peek from the corner of her eye.

Relaxing slightly, Danny turned and faced ahead, where Chris stood on a boat, fiddling with a camera. Apparently, while he was lost in his thoughts again, the host struggled to get the camera to work, giving out false alarms to the increasingly irate teens.

A heavyset, dark skinned girl rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Come on, man. My face is starting to freeze."

"Got it," Chris said, ripping his eyes away from the camera. He flashed everyone a grin, his finger hovering over the button, "Okay. Everyone say Wawanakwa!"

" _Wawanakwa!_ " the large group of teenagers chorused together.

There were three signs that pointed out something was wrong. Three obvious signs the halfa had missed because of his occupied thoughts.

Sign number one, the camera. Why bring a buggy camera to a group photo? As host of a hot new reality show, shouldn't one of the crew members have brought him a brand new one right on the spot? Sign number two, the fact that Chris stood on a boat instead of the docks like the campers. That practically screamed _'Suspicion detected!'_ And sign number three? The mischievous glint shining in the host's eye. Something only a pranker could master.

The halfa cursed his distracting thoughts just as the sounds of groaning and splintering wood bombarded his sensitive ears. The wooden platform beneath his feet chipped and creaked as the withered, aged docks gave in, unable to withhold the weight of 24 teenagers a second longer.

Cries and shouts of surprise cut through the stiff silence like a butter knife through butter. Loud splashes, flops, and watery sputters followed seconds afterwards.

Danny only had his head submerged in the freezing morning water for several seconds before he broke the surface, squirting water out of his mouth like a fountain. He coughed and sputtered, spitting out clear freshwater. His ice core mostly prevented him from feeling the effects of the unforgiving water, but that didn't help his mood by much.

"Okay guys. Dry off and meet at the campfire pit in ten,"

Was he serious? Danny shot the host an icy glare, noting with irritation that the man was stifling his laughter at the sight of the floating, soaked teenagers.

The halfa cursed himself. Given his prank wars with Vlad, and dodging jocks in Casper High like a pro, you'd think he'd be able to detect a prank by now, especially one as large as this one.

Note to self: Be more aware of your surroundings.

Taking a hand, he combed his wet bangs, parting the sticky strands of hair away from his eyes. Releasing a low sigh, Danny decided to take in his surroundings. Campers all around shared his annoyance, some openly expressing their mood in the form of short growls, threats, or curses. Others just remained silent and opted to paddle back to shore, taking heed of Chris' announcement.

Not too surprisingly, Courtney slashed through water like butter in her ongoing pursuit for shore it. But what threw Danny off was the rather dark scowl painting her features as her strokes easily carried her across the lake, the water's freezing temperature be damned. Behind her, Owen dog paddled, panting like a … well, like a dog. Izzy, the redhead's name according to Owen, followed the blonde closely, quacking loudly and flopping her arms around while she swam. Danny blinked at the odd display. As weird as her behavior had been so far, it didn't hold a candle to what the Ghost Zone offered.

Despite the destruction of the docks, a good chuck of it remained unscathed and standing, displaying each and every camper's luggage, which was nice and dry.

The halfa felt himself relax a little. Thank god. Unlike the ghost equipment in his bag, his phone sadly wasn't waterproof yet.

With his clothes sticking to him a bit uncomfortably, and figuring he'd take Chris' advice himself, Danny started for shore. While doing so, once again his mind started to wonder, allowing easy access to a few details plucked from the halfa's ordeal. One of his dangerous friends appeared out of nowhere, he was stuck with her until this whole show blew over, and here he was right now, soaking wet while making a beeline for dry land. Things couldn't get much worse than this, right?

Blue eyes widened almost immediately after that thought left him, forcing him to stop mid-stroke.

Dang it! Saying those exact words out loud usually resulted in a ghostly school fight or a battle in town. But thinking about them? He didn't want to know. Danny debated if he should facepalm himself for his careless thoughts... or just suck it up.

A loud gasp made him pause.

"Danny...?"

So, the latter it was then.

Said teen winced. He knew he couldn't hide from her forever, but he was hoping he could've caught her by surprise after the photo on dry land.

Curse you karma...

Ever so slowly, he turned around and came face to face with one stunned Valerie Gray. Time to face the music.

Valerie recoiled in shock, her wide forest green eyes never leaving the halfa's crystal blue ones.

Amity Park's resident ghost could only muster up a faint smile, albeit nervously, "Hey, Val..."

 **-COMMERCIAL BREAK-**

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 **One episode alone would be too long to type, especially with Danny and Valerie's interactions with the other campers. My solution? Type until the commercial break and post the 2nd half of the episode in the next chapter. I'm not a mega author or anything, and this makes things easier for me.**

 **All the campers will interact with either Danny or Valerie throughout the story to make it seem a bit more realistic. Hopefully, I can keep everyone in character. That's 24 characters, plus Chris and Chef, to work with... And that's not even counting Vlad and the characters in Amity as of yet. Which is gonna be a bit of a challenge.**

 **Note: I feel like the quality in my writing regrettably dropped a little... God, help me...**

 **Chapter 2 will be here by the end of next month.**


	3. Meet And Greet Part 2

**This chapter is late, I know.**

 **I had a midterm this week and all the studying screwed me over. I didn't really have enough time to focus on this story and my work simultaneously, so I had to put this chapter's progress to the side for a few days. But now the big test is out of the way and I am officially on spring break, which is the best feeling I've had in awhile.**

 **And even better, the chapter is up and ready.**

HateReborn27: **I made this chapter longer, but I make no promises for the future.**

Jonas: **Thanks. I hope I didn't disappoint in this chapter. And I decided to go with the ship. However, as a fair warning, there will be a bit of canon ships though.**

nightmaster000: **Thanks. I'm giving it my all here.**

Otaku4life16: **Glad I was able to please you. Hopefully, what's to come next might exceed your expectations.**

Matt: **Haha, no kidding. When the last chapter came out, it was shit. Complete and utter shit. Probably because the 1st chapter was released during winter break. And then school started up around the 2nd chapter, and it really freaked me out. I didn't really give my heart into that chapter, and so I had to go back and edit my writing. This semester is gonna be hell...**

Phoenix-Inferno18: **Thanks. I haven't seen any other DP/TD crossovers with Valerie included, so I thought _'Oh... this is good. This is very good,'_**

Guest: **Yes. Yes, I did.**

Guest: **Nice to know my stressed writing doesn't completely suck.**

Khy Dragon: **Right away, good sir.**

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 _ **Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Total Drama belongs to Tom McGillis, Jennifer Pertsch, and the rest of Fresh TV.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Meet And Greet Part 2...**

* * *

Valerie Gray had to blink her eyes a few times in order to see if she was imagining things. Because there was no way her former crush was sitting right there right now, staying afloat in the freezing Canadian water. What were the odds of the Fenton boy auditioning for Total Drama anyway? As far as she knew, she was the only teen from Amity Park to be accepted onto the show.

Apparently, reality decided to smack her in the face.

"Hey, Val..." Danny greeted timidly, placing a hand on the back of his neck. Despite the soaked black strands of hair glued to his face, she could still see a pair of crystalline blue eyes watching her nervously. His voice held a small edge, and it sounded far too real to be an illusion.

That was all it took for the girl to come out of her shock.

Eyes narrowing with righteous fury, Valerie pointed sharply at the halfa, "You mean to tell me you were here the whole time... and didn't even bother to say a simple _hello_?!" she shrieked, making the boy flinch from her outburst.

In a softer but dangerous tone, she growled, "Give me _one_ good reason why I shouldn't beat you senseless right now," The fact that a good friend of hers was here on the show too and neglected to meet her at the docks face to face rattled her to the core. It took all of her willpower to mask the hurt with justifiable anger, "And you better have a good reason, Fenton,"

Because he was sent here against his own free will. But would Danny admit that out loud? No.

"Because you love me?" he tried hopefully.

Valerie's look only worsened.

He nearly flinched again. Right... Valerie had a temper. A bad one. True, ever since both teenagers had made amends, starting a stable friendship as a result, it dwindled down some. But it was still there. And whenever her anger got the best of her, Danny only prayed whoever Valerie was targeting would receive at least a small shred of mercy. Just ask Technus and the Box Ghost. They both had suffered from her wrath more than once.

Wisely, the boy chose to drop the jokes and meet his friend's demands.

He slowly sighed, "Okay, fine. I arrived minutes ahead of you and I kept trying to tell myself this was really happening. I'm really stuck here until summer ends," Partially, that was the truth. No matter how much he hated to admit it, he really was stuck here. It was odd though... A few weeks ago, his parents hadn't mentioned a single word about Total Drama, nor did they show a sign of acknowledging it's existence. But a week before school ended, he came home to find his parents with high spirits. And then they suggested for him to start packing...

So here he was now.

Seeing Danny's frustrated look, Valerie softened her gaze a little, "Well, alright," she relented and huffed a bit, "That's a pretty good reason. But don't think you're off the hook just yet, Fenton," as her anger faded, a small smile crept up on her lips, "You still owe me,"

Danny felt himself relax, his mood brightening up. It was nice to know the Red Huntress wasn't about to go off on him, "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you,"

"You can start by racing me to shore," the girl challenged, jabbing a thumb towards the island, "I don't know about you, but there's no way I'm starting the first day off in wet clothes. It ain't happening," She meant it too. Competing in challenges with wet hair glued to her face? Water sloshing in her shoes? Those thoughts didn't sit well with the Amazon.

The young Fenton couldn't help but agree. As a ghost, moving in wet clothes never bothered him, what with using intangibility to dry off and all. But just as himself? Human plus open areas equaled no using ghost powers. Yeah, walking around soaking wet didn't sound too fun...

Danny got into a ready position, "You're on," he smirked, putting his attention on the island ahead.

Valerie copied his action with a bit of confidence of her own. She counted down, "Three. Two. One. Go!"

Like bullets, both teenagers took off and swam for shore.

* * *

Against all odds, the Amity pair were able to find the communal bathrooms and dry off in the span of four minutes. They had to admit, Tucker's engineering skills had their perks, especially when it came to repairing and even upgrading Valerie's blow dryer.

Now, the two stood beside Eva in the back, waiting for Chris to show up. Valerie stood confidentially next to the burly girl, feeling at ease from a friendly face. It seemed Eva felt the same way, given the slight twitch to her lips and the fact that she was holding a solid conversation with the girl and the amazon only. The conversation ranged from sports to fighting techniques, and exercises to even a little bit of fashion. It was obvious these girls were already well on their way to becoming fast friends.

Danny, on the other hand, felt the complete opposite around Eva. Something about the girl screamed _'You're walking on thin ice, punk!'_ Maybe it was from the scowl she threw at him after Valerie had introduced him to her. Yeah, that had to be it.

Finally, after what felt like hours but in reality, was only a few minutes, Chris arrived.

With his arrival at the campfire pit, all side conversations slowly died down until a thick silence blanketed the area. Twenty four different sets of eyes fell upon the middle aged man, waiting for him to speak.

Chris nearly preened from the attention. Raising a hand, he gestured to the campgrounds all around, "This," he announced, a grin playing on his lips, "is Camp Wawanakwa, your home for the next eight weeks. The campers sitting around you will be your cabin mates, your competition, and maybe even your friends. Ya dig?" Some of the campers exchanged looks, determining who and who not to talk to, while others looked as if they could care less. Heck, the halfa noted the Mowhawk punk threatening a lanky redhead with a fist, reminding the halfa about the 'Must Avoid' list.

If Chris saw the threat, then he didn't comment on it, "The camper who manages to stay on Total Drama Island the longest without getting voted off will win $100,000!" he finished off, flourishing his hand for effect. At the mention of the prize money, heads all around perked up, sudden interest replacing mere boredom. Who wouldn't be excited about such an amount of cash? Danny had to admit, even he found the idea tempting. Now that he thought about it, it wouldn't hurt to add a little more cash to his bank account.

"Excuse me," a voice suddenly pitched in, and from within the gathered crowd of teenagers, Mowhawk stepped out, "What will the sleeping arrangements be? Because I'd like to request a bunk under her," he casted a sly glance in the rich girl's direction, all the while pointing a thumb her way.

The girl, Heather, appeared startled for a brief moment, and then she narrowed her eyes in disgust, "You're not my type," she scoffed. Turning her head away from the bad boy, she made eye contact with Chris and warily asked "They're not co-ed, are they?"

"No," Chris answered, shaking his head a little. He pointed at Heather, "Girls get one side of the cabin" and then moved his finger to the bad boy, "And dudes get the other," His words put the girl at ease, if the way her stiff posture relaxed was any indication.

In front of Valerie sat quite a pretty blonde, who sported a blue bandanna. She quickly shot her hand in the air, as if she were still in school.

"Excuse me, Kyle?" she spoke up, catching the host's and a few of the boys' attention instantly, "Can I have a cabin with the lake view since I'm the prettiest?" she asked innocently, while treating her beauty like it was a well-known fact. This caused a few campers to share looks of disbelief, while others couldn't help but agree with her statement.

Danny had to blink. And blink again. And again. Was the blonde a stunning sight to look at? Yes. Was she smart? Ah... not so much.

Beside him, Valerie muttered almost incredulously, "Are you for real?"

Eva snorted in agreement, "It feels like I'm back in school," she mumbled, folding her arms.

Thankfully, Chris didn't really agree to her terms, "Okay, you are," he admitted, making the girl's smile widen. But with what came out of his mouth next, it made the smile on her face drop almost instantly, "But that's not really how it works here. And," he fixed the girl a slightly irritated look, "it's _Chris_ ,"

"I have to live with Sadie," a girl, the skinny twin from before, piped up firmly. Taking her twin's hand in her own, she made eye contact with the shorter girl and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "or I'll die"

"And I'll break out in hives," the shorter girl, Sadie, stated seriously, returning a squeeze to her twin's hand, "It's true. Just ask our parents,"

The halfa stared.

Their close friendship was sweet. Kind of sad, but sweet.

Too bad it probably made Sam want to hurl from where she was watching back home. Valerie, herself, watched the scene in disbelief, shaking her head slightly.

Up front, what looked to be Sam's twin, shook her head in disgust. With her cheek pressing against her fist, she gave an almost mournful sigh, "This _cannot_ be happening,"

Oh, one could feel your pain, unknown goth. One could feel your pain.

"Awww come on guys!" Owen chirped, suddenly locking both the goth and the red clad jock beside her in a uncomfortable head lock, giving them what he believed was a hug, "It'll be fun, it's like a big sleepover!" Lifting his large head, the big guy let his eyes survey the area before they locked onto contestant 23.

Smiling widely, Owen called "Hey, Danny! Come join the hug, man! It'll be a party!"

Danny noticed the expressions of discomfort on his victi- sorry, fellow campers' faces, and decided against it. Giving his head a small shake, he held his hands up in surrender, "Ah, no thanks, big guy. I'm good," this made the large blonde pout.

From his place, Chris watched the scene in amusement. Glancing at his wristwatch, his grin dropped a bit.

"Alright," he started, making sure his voice was heard over the small side conversations residing in the area. He whipped out a list and gave it a quick glance before facing the campers once more, "Here's the deal. We're gonna split you up into two teams. If I call your name out, go stand over there," After gesturing to the designated spot, the host looked at the list once more, "Gwen..."

Danny watched in slight boredom as one by one contestants were picked out from the crowd, forming a smaller crowd of their own off to the side. Team formations were quite a common sight from where he came from. It happened all the time back in Casper High, mainly during dodgeball. And despite the fact that he was no longer the lanky fourteen year old he had been when the accident happened, to this day he was still picked last. It probably had to do with Dash's stupid grudge against him. Somehow, he had caught on that it was Danny who trashed his room after his first battle with Technus years ago. Overall, he was pretty much used to being the last member of whatever team he was going to be apart of.

So imagine his surprise when Chris called out his name directly after Beth.

"Danny."

This was new.

Valerie nudged him in the side with her elbow, "Well? What are you waiting for?" she shoved him forward, "Get moving, Danny. They haven't got all day."

Danny was quickly able to recover, and regained his footing, "R-right," he gave Valerie a faint smile, shooting her a two finger salute, "It's been fun, Val,"

"Get real," the dark skinned girl rolled her eyes, "There's still a chance we'll be teammates,"

As if to prove her wrong, Chris finished up role call with "Noah," before tossing Owen a rolled up flag. Apparently, the first team of twelve teenagers would be known from that moment on as the Screaming Gophers, much to the large blonde's excitement.

Danny shot Valerie a smug grin. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, the Amazon shoved him away from her with a huff, "Oh, shut up and leave already,"

The halfa chuckled, "Sure, sure," he turned away to start his way for his team, before calling over his shoulder, "May the best contestant win,"

Valerie smirked, "Yeah... may the best contestant win,"

Without another word, the boy left to join his teammates. The girl watched him go, her gaze sweeping over his figure. She hadn't realized it before, being too busy caught up with catching up and listening to the rules, but... Danny wasn't quite as short as before. As before, they were nearly the same height with her being a few inches taller, it seemed now the boy was the taller out of the pair. His previous height of 5'8 jumped up to a sudden height of 5'11. And now that she noticed it, what was with the red jacket? Did it ever come off?

She was so in thought that she almost didn't catch Eva's warning.

"Come on. We gotta move,"

Valerie blinked and lifted her gaze from the ground. Eva looked at her with her arms crossed, her normally stoic face gazing at her patiently.

"Where exactly?" she asked, dispelling her thoughts away. She would get back to them later, when they were allowed to have a bit of downtime. Eva grunted and jabbed a thumb towards the other side of the campfire pit, where a second crowd of teenagers were gathering around.

Understanding dawned on her face, and without uttering a word, she started for the crowd which she assumed would be her team for the summer. Eva trailed behind her, keeping in pace. When both girls joined the group, they arrived just as Courtney and a blonde, Bridgette, were trying to be polite and comfort Sadie, which worked to no avail. The chubby girl's eye's glazed with unshed tears, looking as if she would burst at any moment, and her bottom lip trembled tremendously.

Once Chris tossed Harold their flag, he announced them as The Killer Bass, much to the nerd's amazement. Throughout the whole time, the Amazon constantly felt a pair of eyes on her, watching her carefully. It began to bug her. Looking around, her eyes surveyed the area until they landed on a brunette wearing a teal toque. The boy, having been caught staring, quickly looked away, his cheeks slightly tainted a rosy color. While Eva too had caught sight of the staring, a deep scowl had crossed her face whilst Valerie was simply amused.

She wasn't the only one. On the other side of the pit, Danny watched the whole scene. He hid a smile by pressing his lips against a fist. Tucker wasn't going to be happy about this.

Owen, having caught his teammate's attempt, couldn't help but beam himself, "Are you excited about our team too?"

The halfa caught his eye and after a moment, nodded, "Sure, I am. I'm on a team with a familiar face,"

However, before both boys could engage in a light conversation, the sound of Chris' voice forced their attention to turn towards him. The host himself stood at the front, going over the what was known as the confessional com and how they would be able to share their innermost thoughts to the world...

* * *

 _ **Confessional- Gwen**_

 **"Um, okay..." the goth from before, Gwen, drawled out, leaning back against the toilet seat with her arms crossed.** **Her head tilted back and she glanced from side to side in uncertainty. Still, she was able to keep a bored look as she looked upwards at the camera, ignoring the flies drifting around in the confessional, "so far this sucks,"**

* * *

 _ **Confessional- Lindsay**_

 **Rather than face the camera up front, the blonde, Lindsay, stood with her back turned, "Um, I don't get it. Where's the camera guy," she looked around confusedly, completely unaware of the fact that she would later on give the viewing world a nice view of her ass.**

* * *

 _ **Confessional- Random Loon**_

 **Having snuck in the confessional after the confused blonde left, this little bird felt the strong urge to get to higher ground, where she happily applied her beak with her newly found lipstick from the ground.**

 **Her joy was short-lived though, when she heard a small beep. The loon opened her red eyes and her face became the epitome of shock, sporting a look that screamed ' _Oh shit_ '**

* * *

 _ **Confessional- Valerie**_

 **Valerie sat there, running her fingers through her thick, dark hair. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment... before she looked up. A confident smile broke across her lips, "That's right, baby. This girl's bringing it home,"**

 **A fly suddenly flew in her face, before coming to rest on top of her nose. This prompted the Amazon to quickly swat at it, making the insect buzz away, "** **Stupid bug," she muttered, her nose wrinkling.**

* * *

 _ **Confessional- Owen**_

 **Contradicting the cheerful nature which seeped from his pores before, Owen gave the camera a hard stare. His dark eyes were uncharacteristically steely and a deep frown tugged at his lips.**

 **Placing a hand on his chest, he addressed the camera, "Hey everyone. Check this out. I have something very important to say," he paused for a moment, letting his words sink into those who would be watching this later on. And then out of nowhere, he let loose a large fart. His once firm look melted away and Owen broke off into a fit of laughter, leaning towards the camera while he did so.**

* * *

...The idea of letting the world, especially Amity Park, know of his thoughts didn't really settle well with Danny. He understood that it would be the perfect opportunity to vent after a long day on this crappy island, but sometimes his anger could dangerously cloud his judgement. The last thing he needed was to blurt out the wrong thing, mainly a hint about his half ghost status, or display his powers by flashing his eyes their ghostly green. If he had to vent, he'd do so in silence, or whenever he had the chance to be alone.

He snapped out of his thoughts just as Chris gestured for both teams to follow him, where he would be leading everyone to their cabins.

Finally, they could unpack and ditch their bags.

* * *

After birth, there were certain types of creatures with the gifted ability of flight. Birds, bats, and bugs. Or if technical terms were to be used, you could count ghosts through death.

Danny, himself, had gained the ability after ectoplasm rearranged his molecular structure.

But unlike the young ghost hunter, the boy who was literally flying at him at this very moment wasn't a ghost. Or a halfa. Which means gravity did nothing to slow his flight as he made harsh contact with the ground. His landing was rough to the point where a tuft of grass had shoveled itself inside the boy's mouth, probably giving him the not so pleasant taste of mother nature.

Danny shared a wince with Trent, who had stopped his trek to the cabin after the boy cried out in surprise from his descent. Without taking his eyes off the slowly recovering brunette, he slid off his bag to the ground and crouched down. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Trent placing his guitar case on the ground and then edging closer, looking ready to assist.

"Are you okay?" the halfa asked, noticing the disgusted look on the boy's face, "Because grass doesn't taste that good. Trust me, I know that from experience," Beside him, he heard the musician snort.

Pushing himself onto his elbows, the downed boy took this moment to spit out the tuft of grass. When he felt as if he could speak again, he took a shaky breath.

"Y-yeah," he breathed, looking a bit dazed. With the taste of grass still lingering in his mouth, he promptly spat out a few blades of grass which had caught between his teeth. Groaning a little, he added, "Who knew that Gwen girl could throw a guy like a warrior? Isn't the Valerie chick the Amazon?"

Trent widened his eyes in surprise, "Gwen did this?" He glanced from the boy to the girl side of the cabin, where LeShawna had just entered.

"Yeah," the boy sighed, his daze slowly fading. His lips curled into a small toothy grin, "And that's what makes her hot,"

Hot? Yes. Dangerous? Definitely.

The halfa slowly shook his head. The poor guy had a lot to learn.

"Goths are naturally violent. That, my friend, is a well-known fact," he pointed out as he offered the gap-toothed geek a hand. The boy looked at Danny's waiting hand and grasped it, repeating the action with Trent's outstretched hand. Once he was pulled to his feet, he spared the boys in front of him an appreciative glance.

"Thanks," he smiled slightly in relief, and then stuck his hand out for an introduction, "I'm Cody, by the way,"

Danny opened his mouth to give away his name, but the unexpected loud wailing cutting through the air interrupted him in a heartbeat. Almost as one, the trio of boys looked over and spotted Lindsay. A look of hurt flashed on her face as she wailed, complaining that there was no need to be mean. Her target of complaints sat on the front porch to the girl side of the cabin, Gwen's hands clamping her ears shut, all the while looking away in dismay.

The halfa couldn't blame her. His ears hurt just by listening to her, which nearly caused him to wince. Curse his sensitive hearing...

"Danny," he said, slowly turning away from the painful scene. Grasping Cody's hand, he gave it a firm shake, "My name's Danny,"

Trent accepted the handshake after he finished, his calm smile lost thanks to Lindsay's complaints, "I'm Trent," The musician paused for a moment. Seconds later, he asked "By the way... have you seen both sides of the cabin?"

Cody shook his head, "Not yet. But we might wanna head there now before all the good spots are taken," gesturing to the cabin, he continued, "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to sleep under the big guy,"

Both ravenettes could agree with that. Sure, Owen seemed like a nice guy and all, but did they really want to sleep under him, where his weight could very possibly crush them in their sleep?

Yeah, no thanks.

Chris briefly caught their interest as he answered Geoff's question, stating there would be no chaperones monitoring them. All of them were sixteen, they could handles themselves. Well, come August, Danny would be seventeen but that was still a few months away.

Coming to a silent agreement, the trio turned and started to make their way for their side of the Gopher cabin.

...Until a horrified scream pierced the air, shattering the once peaceful silence. With the scream, every head snapped up and whipped in the direction it had came from, the Gopher trio included. Everyone exchanged surprised looks... and booked it for the girl side of the Gopher cabin.

It was truly amazing a scream so high could gather a conjoined crowd of both Gophers and Bass in the span of a few seconds.

Immensely grateful for his height, Danny countered not one problem overlooking most of the contestants. Near the window, stood Lindsay. Fearful trembles shook her body so much that she nearly resembled a leaf in the wind. Terrified sky blue eyes widened to the size of pinpricks once her offender edged far closer than what she would've liked.

Her offender, the mighty cockroach, twitched it's little antennas before crawling a little more closer to the stool the blonde beauty stood upon. This small movement elicited a fearful yelp from her pink lips.

"What is it? Somebody kill it, kill it!" she cried in terror.

Danny stared. Was she serious?

At the sight of the moving roach, DJ released a not so manly shriek, before he followed Lindsay's example of getting to higher ground. Despite his large size, he gave a mighty leap in the air, one that would make an Olympian proud, and came crashing down on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. Because of this action, he unknowingly snapped the bed in half.

Gwen stared at the remains of her bed in dissatisfaction, "That... was my bed,"

Her complaint fell on deaf ears though, when the roach moved. And when it started crawling around the cabin floor in a frenzy, the cabin erupted in chaos.

As the large bug darted around the room, feet of varying shapes and sizes either jumped back in panic or tried their hardest to stomp the little critter. Most of the girls had taken refuge to the beds around, refusing to let the filthy bug touch them. Meanwhile, guys all around tried and failed to crush the roach beneath their feet.

When a roach was provoked, it sure gave a mouse a run for it's money.

The only one who was relatively calm about the issue was the only halfa in the group of teenagers. A small number of things bugged Danny at times, and bugs sure as hell weren't one of them. When you grew up in a household where roaches seeped in from time to time, you grew accustomed to them fairly quick. Sure, they were disgusting, but they were a more welcomed sight than mutated, ghostly food out to get you... in your own house, might he add. Besides, Sam caught them all the time for her more carnivorous plants. So overall for the young Fenton, roaches were more of an annoyance than anything.

Plus, the symphony of screams was really starting to grate his nerves.

Rolling his eyes, he eyed the roach carefully, watching for where it was heading for next. When he calculated the exact spot, he quickly stepped forward and smashed his foot down to the ground.

A loud crunch filled the air like a bullet, silencing everyone's panicked cries. Rubbing his foot against the ground for good measure, Danny lifted his shoe and steppped back to examine his work.

Smeared against the hard wooden floor was the former lively roach, it's guts leaving it's slowing body. The sight made some campers cringe in disgust, while others took a collective sigh of relief.

"There," he broke the silence at last, ripping his gaze away from the dying roach. His eyes roamed around the room, taking in each and every face, "You guys happy now?"

"Ew," Lindsay recoiled back, repulsed at the sight of the roach, "Is someone going to clean that up?"

While her question earned her a few nods, LeShawna rolled her eyes and hopped off a bed herself. She sent Danny a grateful look.

"Thanks, sugar," she said softly, catching her breath. Her eyes fell upon the roach and she wrinkled her nose, "Those things are _nasty_ ,"

"I know right?" Beth joined in. She shivered and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, "I live on a farm, but those critters give me the creeps all the time!"

The raven haired teen shrugged and checked the roach again, "It's no problem. I just saw the bug and exterminated it,"

"Yeah, well, I could've done that too," Harold huffed, crossing his arms in a dignified matter, "I just didn't because I was saving my mad skills," he winked at LeShawna, and in response, the heavyset girl just shook her head.

Stepping back, Danny joined both Trent and Cody near the door. As he did so, however, Duncan rushed in the cabin with an axe in hand. An excited grin brightened his face as he looked around wildly. But when he noticed the calm faces of the campers and the dead roach clearly on the floor, that grin dropped off his face.

Lowering the axe to his side, Duncan snapped his fingers in disappointment, "Dammit. I'm too late,"

His response was met with a thick silence. Lifting his gaze away from the roach, he looked around and noticed that all eyes were on him or more importantly, the axe clutched in his hand.

Rather than feel uncomfortable from the sudden attention, the bad boy merely shrugged, "What? I'm from juvie. Of course I'm gonna bring these kinda tools with me,"

The halfa wasn't really listening though. His eyes were trained on the sharp weapon hanging loosely from the punk's hand. An axe like that could seriously do some damage around here if one weren't careful, and could pose as an absolute threat should Duncan decide to go off on the bend. Maybe he should keep an eye on the guy, just in case...

"No comment," he finally said.

* * *

Bringing his own food with him to the island was probably one of the best ideas Danny's had in a long time.

Thank god his mind was such a team player. Because after everyone had gotten settled in their cabins, Chris directed them all to the mess hall, where they had the _honor_ of meeting the chef who ran the place.

His name was Chef Hachet, which was a very original name by the way, and good god... did he have a temper. His very own put both Valerie and Sam's tempers _combined_ to shame. And body wise? The boy was positive the large, gruff man was somehow Skulker's lost twin. Just look at that intimidating figure!

And the food... well, just because it wasn't contaminated by ectoplasm didn't mean he was going to eat any of it. His resolve strengthened once he spied a bun on the ground crawling, the supposed sloppy joe pushing against the hardwood floor with makeshift meaty arms.

His stomach dropped at the sight. Yeah, he wasn't eating this...

Which left him with his food stashed away in his bag.

Still, he didn't want to raise any questions, so for now, he'd just grab a tray of food and join his teammates. Once DJ left to join the Bass table, Danny placed his tray on the counter and looked up at Chef expectantly. The burly dark skinned man searched his eyes for moment, his own dark eyes narrowing briefly, before he placed the slop he called food on the boy's hamburger bun. Like the aforementioned moving food, the red slop squiggled for a second and then stilled itself.

"Go eat your food, boy," he gruffly ordered, pointing his scooper towards the Gopher table. Danny arched an eyebrow at him. Admittedly, the lack of yelling from the man's drill sergeant-like voice seemed a bit odd. He had no problem yelling in the other campers' faces, but why go easy on him?

When he made no move for his table, Chef gnashed his teeth together in slight irritation and pointed at the table again, this time more sharply," _Did I stutter, white boy_?"

Sensing the man's darkening mood, the teen finally decided to comply, "No sir, you didn't," he gave a quick salute and turned on his heel, making his way for the table.

Once he reached the table, the raven haired teen took the only available spot left, which so happened to be right beside Gwen at the edge of the table. The goth spared him a glance as he sat down, and then returned to her moping, eyeing her food every now and then in disdain. Lifting up a spork, Danny picked at what appeared to be a bowl of mashed potatoes. But only, they looked and felt more like cement than actual potatoes, the pale gray color and hard structure only proved his point.

"Chef seems nice," he said out of the blue, placing down his spork. The potatoes on his plate were a lost cause.

Across the table, Cody shot him a look of disbelief, "Nice? Dude, Chef chewed me out because I said the potatoes were too hard,"

"Yeah, man. These potatoes are killer," Trent said. He gave his food another poke and when the lump of gray didn't budge, he grimaced, "And not in a good way,"

Danny shrugged, "Would you believe me if I said I've seen worse than this?" Thoughts of his parents' ectoplasmic food and the camp food during the Walker camp fiasco briefly flashed in his mind, before he rapidly shook them away.

"Worse, how?" Gwen couldn't help but snort as she pushed her tray away from her, "As a goth, I've seen many weird things in my lifetime. But moving food?" she casted a dark look at her hissing sloppy joe, " _That's_ where I draw the line,"

"I don't think this stuff has enough carbs or nutrients," Lindsay frowned, giving her sandwich a small poke with her spoon. When it hissed at her, she yelped and cowered away.

Noah looked it... and then at his own hissing sandwich that even went as far as growling at him in warning. He wisely placed his fork down, "That's it, I'm done,"

Many of his teammates followed his example, giving up their attempts at eating their hostile food. Yes, _hostile_. Hissing and growling normally belonged to territorial animals, but their sloppy joes sandwiches were emitting the sounds with ease.

Just then, Chris arrived in the mess hall, baring a grin, "Hello campers," he greeted cheerfully, and folded his arms behind his back, "Welcome to the main lodge,"

"Yo, my man," Geoff spoke up. Turning until he faced Chris, he asked, "Can we order a pizza?"

The party dude expected an answer, mainly from Chris. However, what he _hadn't_ expected was for a butcher knife to suddenly sail right passed him, coming a few inches close to shaving off the ends of his messy blonde hair, and embedding itself in the wall behind the Gopher table. This happened all in a few seconds.

"Woah! Its' cool G! Brown slop is cool!" he yelped, fearfully meeting the stormy eyes of Chef Hachet. The man gripped another knife tightly, and made the blonde teenager cower in his seat from just one fierce glare.

"Right guys?" Geoff finished, darting his frantic eyes around whilst looking for support. He added a nervous laugh in for good measure. His fear was apparently normal, because nearly every camper there looked shaken from the man's deadly outburst. Some of them rapidly nodded their heads in agreement like Lindsay, while others chose to hide under their tables like Cody.

The warning was quite clear. Don't talk shit about Chef's food.

Danny mentally added that onto his list, his eyes wide from the warning that had taken place moments before.

Yeah... Skulker definitely has a lost twin.

From the Bass table, he heard Valerie mutter " _Man_ , he has anger issues," It was low, but with his heightened senses, he could hear it as clear as day. And honestly? He found himself agreeing with her every step of the way.

His ears tuned in just as Chris finished his announcement and turned away, walking out of the building and leaving the tense silence to suffocate them all. No one dared to make much movement as Chef turned away and started polishing his knife. They were afraid if they made a wrong move, then another knife would be flung at them and not miss this time.

Even Duncan looked a bit unnerved, and that was quite a sight to any wandering eyes.

Bravely, it was Katie who spoke up after several minutes of insufferable silence.

"What do you think they'll make us do?" she tentatively asked, taking a nervous glance at Chef.

Sensing her growing nervousness, and trying to quell his very own, DJ shot the girl his best comforting smile.

"It's our first challenge, right?" he pointed out. Shrugging his hefty shoulders, he grew a little more confident, "How hard could it be?"

Across the room at the Gopher table, Danny froze.

Dammit, not again! What was with the jinxes today? It was hardly afternoon!

"You okay, man?"

Danny tore his gaze away from DJ, and directed his attention towards Trent. The musician sat there, his emerald green eyes watching him in concern. Releasing a depressed sigh, the halfa mirrored Gwen's earlier action and leaned his cheek against his fist on the table.

"Peachy," he tiredly admitted at last, "Today's just peachy,"

* * *

 **Gah… some of these characters are hard to write. Seriously, writing nerdy and dorky is my forte... But that's not gonna stop me from trying.**


End file.
